Forum makes 'highly advanced' LR-class submarine rescue vehicle

UK-based Forum Energy Technologies announced on 25 January that it has completed manufacturing a ‘highly advanced’ LR-class submarine rescue vehicle (SRV).

The first-in-class SRV is being packaged and shipped to its final destination imminently before undergoing final sea trials with an unnamed customer in Q1 2021.

The SRV is capable of rescuing up to 17 people at a time and operate at depths of up to 600m. The vehicle has increased power and an advanced auxiliary thruster control system that allows for speeds of up to 4kt, enabling it to operate in high currents. The vehicle is able to attach to submarines at highly precarious angles, above 40 degrees.

Onboard sensors and equipment include a doppler velocity log, fibre-optic gyroscope, sonar and depth sensing. The autopilot function utilises an electric propulsor pivot mechanism and is unique to the LR-class SRV.

The SRV is divided into two sections: a command module for pilots and a rescue chamber for the submarine crew. The rescue chamber can be pressurised as necessary to ensure rescued crew are decompressed. Once on the surface, the vessel latches to a decompression chamber where crew are safely transferred.

Forum claimed that its LR-class SRV surpasses systems manufactured by other suppliers over the last decade, including the NATO Submarine Rescue System and the LR7 system delivered to China.

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